Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA – Foreign Ministers of Russia and Iran stressed Friday that their countries share identical views on combating terrorism in the region and are determined to fight it in all its forms and no matter it is.
Addressing the reporters in a press conference in Moscow, both officials affirmed that the crisis in Syria can only be settled through a political and diplomatic solution.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the joint conference that both sides discussed pivotal issues on the international agenda, noting that his country and Iran have identical stances on the majority of those issues.
“We exchanged views on the situation in Syria and we have a unified view…There is no alternative for settling the crisis there other than the political and diplomatic solution,” said Lavrov.
He cited Geneva Communiqué of 2012 as a “solid international reference” to reach a political solution in Syria, pointing out that he agreed with the Iranian side that all the next steps of the international community should be centered on pushing for a peaceful settlement in Syria, with Iran being part of that effort.
Lavrov warned of the “grave danger” of the terrorism and extremism sweeping the region, citing the situation in Syria and Iraq in particular.
He called for establishing an “international alliance for combating terrorism without double standards”, criticizing the West for saying that it will fight terrorism in Iraq while at the same time it refrains from cooperating with Syria. “This is double-dealing and short-sightedness,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed Lavrov’s remarks that Tehran and Moscow have identical views on combating terrorism and extremism in the region.
He warned that the terrorism which is currently threatening the people of Syria and Iraqi could extend beyond to other areas and spread widely to reach Europe and the US.
Haifa Said
